Stop and Smell the Flowers
by Thornedbudx
Summary: When a maid brings up a painful part of our favorite servants history, Lumiere and Babette must tell the story of their lost beloveded friend. Full Summary inside. *RENAMED from Her Name Was Maggie.
1. Chapter 1

**FULL SUMMARY!: When a maid brings up a painful part of some of our favorite servants history, Lumiere and Babette must tell the story of their beloved friend. After the story is done, what will Belle and the other servants discover about Cogsworth's mysterious past? Cogsworth listens in, and discovers a part of himself he never knew. Rating is for later chapters, and the title may be changed later on. :)**

**Hi everyone! This is part one of the extremely long prologue to another story that's in the works. There will be a part of the prologue for at least 3 other animated Disney movies. But for now, just sit back and enjoy, and take it as just a story. :)**

**Oh yes, I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY OC. AND THE PLOT I GUESS. :P **

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"Ah, Christmas time," said Belle, smiling, as she hung a delicate string of popcorn along the long winding mahogany stair railing. "Remember last year?" she giggled, remembering the makeshift Christmas tree and the storybook she had given to the Beast.

"Hopefully, I will not be stuck on the top of the tree this year, will I?" added Angelique, who gracefully glided across the marble floor, checking that all of the decorations were in order.

Lumiere laughed. "Of course not Cherie," he said from the top of the stairs. He was helping some of the maids clean up for the big day. Christmas Eve was tomorrow, after all.

"Lumiere, I'm tired," complained one of the maids. Most others nodded in agreement.

"This is such tiring work! Can't we have a break?" another added.

"Please?" they pleaded.

"You just had one!" he chuckled. At this, most of the maids rolled their eyes and went back to work.

Babette and Fife carried a tree holder to the spot where the tree would be. "Are you nervous, Fife?" Babette asked after they had set it down. She was, of course, asking about the song Belle told Fife he should play on Christmas Eve. The Master had agreed. Fife nodded his head rapidly. "Only one day more to practice!"

"You'll do fine, dear." Ms. Potts encouraged, parting the curtains on the windows. Light flooded into the room. "Ah, here they come!" Ms. Potts exclaimed excitedly. Everyone ran to the window. There were many excited remarks.

"It's so big!"

"Now THAT"S a Christmas tree!"

"I hope they don't drop it!"

"Wow!"

"Where did they find it?"

The Master burst through the door, carrying a huge Christmas tree. Chip peeked out from behind his leg and hopped over to Ms. Potts. "I helped pick it out." He whispered loudly to no one in particular. Ms. Potts gently nuzzled him and smiled. The Prince and Eli, formerly an axe, hauled the tree inside. Slowly they put it in the tree holder, tightened it, and backed away. The tree was perfect. The branches were thick. The tree was the perfect shape- large at the bottom and pointed at the top. And it was huge- Not even the Prince could touch the top.

"Is it good?" the Master asked, turning. Everyone nodded happily. Belle ran up and hugged him. "It's perfect."

"Hey, I helped pick it!" Chip piped in. Belle bent down and put chip in her hand. She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for helping chip." She set him down again, and he smiled wide.

Belle brought out a checklist. "Tree? Check. Lets see. Decorations?" She looked around. "No check yet. Food? Well, it's not Christmas Eve yet, so we don't have to worry about that. Presents? Still not Christmas Eve. Firewood?" She looked at the fireplace. Where there would normally been a huge pile of firewood ready, there was an empty corner. Belle looked up at the Prince and Eli, giving them a pleading look.

"FINE," snarled the Prince. He hadn't been too happy about getting the tree, either. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today," he spat, and stalked off out the door to go gather firewood.

"Oy vey, why must I always be dragged into this?" Eli complained, trudging out the door after the Prince.

"Oh dear. I don't think he's in a good mood anymore," Ms. Potts said, breaking the long silence that followed their exit.

"Chop chop!" Cogsworth called, clapping his hands as he walked into the room. Several of the maids rolled their eyes. Why must he be such a perfectionist? They walked slowly back and began to clean, miserable.

"But Cogsworth! We have been working for _hours_! Can we not have a short break?" One maid whined. It was Cogsworth's turn to roll his eyes.

"You just had a break. A long one, at that! If we want tomorrow and Christmas to go smoothly, everything must be _just right_. Now hurry up," he retorted. He turned around to walk out, mumbling to himself.

"You never would have treated _her_ like this." One of the maids added, sounding almost evil.

Cogsworth froze. His fists clenched, his back straightened, his head shot up, and his eyes shut tight. There was a long silence. Many of the maids nodded to one another in agreement. Others looked on in confusion. Lumiere, Babette, Angelique, Ms. Potts and Fife looked depressed, while Belles' and Chips' eyes darted around the room, trying to find out what was going on.

"Get back to work." Cogsworth said in a hoarse whisper, and sped off, hands still clenched, head down.

The room was silent. Belle slowly walked over to where Cogsworth had been standing and knelt down. There were two small teardrops on the floor. She wiped them up with her pointer finger and held them up to her face.

Lumiere glanced at Belle, who was looking at the tears in confusion. "I thought he had forgotten how to cry." Lumiere sighed sadly. He then eyed several maids who were snickering and complaining. Fury in his eyes, he strode over to them. He loomed over them, casting a long, dark shadow. "If I were you," Lumiere snarled, "I would go find another room to clean." The maids cowered in fear. They'd never seen Lumiere so angry. There was a fire in his eyes that made him look like he wanted to kill them. "Go on, OUT!" he shouted furiously. The small group of maids shuffled off in fear.

"Lumiere…" Ms. Potts began.

"What?" he snapped spinning around to face her. "I will not allow them to think of her if they are going to behave so terribly! And you saw Cogsworth! I refuse to let them get away with mentioning her in front of him like that!" Lumiere screamed. Ms. Potts had hurt in her eyes. He sighed and slumped down against the wall. "I'm sorry. It's just… it's just not fair," he mumbled, head in hands. Ms. Potts sighed weakly. "I know dear," she whispered.

Chip walked over to Belle, who had been watching the scene play out in amazement. He looked at her finger, where the teardrop still hung.

Belle knelt there, silent. She wasn't exactly sure what to do. She didn't want to pry- everyone seemed so saddened just at the word 'her', that she was sure it was a very touchy subject. And yet, at the same time, she had to know. What could possibly make everyone so sad? Curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to ask.

"Who is 'her'?"

Lumiere sighed. "Its such a long story… what am I saying, you love stories." He chuckled lightly. "Ms. Potts, why don't you tell the story?" he said.

Ms Potts shook her head. "I think this is a story for you two to tell," she said, looking at Babette and Lumiere. They looked at each other for a moment, and then back to Ms. Potts. "Are you sure?" He asked, and for the first time, Belle caught a hint of insecurity in his voice.

Ms. Potts nodded. "If you think you're up to it." The two looked at each other again.

"I'd say have Cogsworth tell the story, but I'm not sure he'd be able to, especially now." Babette said sadly.

"Well, I suppose we have no choice now, do we?" He laughed. He hopped over to the Christmas tree, and sat down below it, Babette close behind. Chip curled up to Ms. Potts, Belle sat close to the tree, as did all the other maids and servants, eager for the story.

"Her name," began Lumiere, "was Maggie. And she was one of the best friends we've ever had."

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**Yay! So, how do all of you like it? I hope I did a good job. :)**

**Comments, constructive criticism, etc. are loved like puppies. :D **


	2. Chapter 2

***RE-NAMED!**

**Hi everyone! Soooo sorry for not updating sooner, I had serious writers block. :( Anyway, this story, with the exception of the first part on our favorite little clock, is told like the sequel. Also, sorry that this is so short, but it was the best place to leave things off. A HUGE thank you to all of you who reviewed. Really, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. **

**Also, to those of you who find my logic that Belle stayed at the castle longer than a year confusing, it's okay. I'm just as confused as you. XD If it helps, ignore the fact I said the Beast was the one who dragged the tree in and went out for more firewood, and just replace it with Adam. The story really could go either way.  
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**SPOILER ALERT!**

**I know a lot of people see Cogsworth as much older than Lumiere and Babette, but I'm not so sure. I think its really just years of worrying about everything. He does tend to overreact to… everything… **

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Cogsworth stormed up the stairs, not thinking straight. How dare they mention her in such away! He thought angrily. They have no right! He wiped the tears streaming down his face away. He looked around him. He had been so consumed by rage, he had climbed to the top of the stairs and not even realized it. He sighed and leaned against the stair railing.

Turning to look through the railing, he saw all of the servants (excluding the maids who had mentioned Margaret, he noted,) were gathered around Lumiere and Babette. If he spent half the time he spent flirting with Babette actually working, he thought, we might be prepared for Christmas already. He watched as everyone sat down, looking eager. "If only they were this excited about work…," he murmured to himself. He listened closely. And then he realized what they were talking about.

"Her name," began Lumiere, "was Maggie. And she was one of the best friends we've ever had." Cogsworth began to turn away, but couldn't. He had to hear. He wasn't sure why but… something was nagging him at the back of his mind to listen. He hesitantly turned back, watching as Lumiere and Babette told the story of their friend.

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_Ding-Dong!_ The sound of the front bell rang throughout the castle. Lumiere, Babette, and Cogsworth scurried down the long corridors of the castle. The moonlight shining through the intricate stained glass windows cast long shadows of them as they snuck stealthily down towards the front doors. A visitor was ten times as interesting as hide-and-go-seek. Although it was their bedtime, they had snuck out to play.

The three curious children hid behind a large marble column at the top of the grand staircase. There was nobody roaming the halls or working to catch them, it was much to late for that. Nobody ever came to the castle especially at this time of night unless they were holding some type of event that took months of planning. Naturally the three friends were curious as to why someone would be coming to the castle at this time of night. The three held their breath as they waited excitedly.

A tall man in a royal blue suit hurried to the door. The three children's eyes widened. "Why on earth is the king answering the door?" Lumiere whispered softly.

"Must be someone important…" Babette whispered back.

The King opened the huge front doors to reveal a woman holding two small suitcases. She was dressed in a simple green dress, which matched her eyes. She had red hair that fell down to her shoulders.

"Madeline!" The King exclaimed warmly. The woman's face lit up with her smile.

"Bonjour your highness." She said happily. Her accent was very odd- it was certainly not French, like Lumiere's or Babette's, or even English like Cogsworth's. She set the worn brown suitcases down and hugged him tightly. He stepped back a moment later, smiling.

"How are you?" He asked looking her up and down.

"I'm as well as I can be, considering." She said sadly. Although the three children couldn't see his face, they could tell he was no longer smiling. He put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "I'm glad that you're here, but I wish it were under better circumstances. I am truly sorry for your loss." The woman gave a weak smile. "Thank you, we appreciate it."

"We?" Whispered Babette. As far as they could see, the only people in the hall were the King and the woman he had called Madeline.

"Speaking of which, where is the little one?" The King asked. Suddenly a head popped out from behind Madeline. Her bright green eyes stared wide at the king. She, like Madeline, had curly auburn hair that fell to just below her ears. She had a light sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks and nose, which were hidden in shadow until she stepped out from behind her mother nervously. She wore a simple dress identical to her mother's, the only difference being it was blue.

"Ah, there she is!" The King laughed. He bent down to look at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He kissed her hand. She giggled. "And what might your name be?" He asked.

"Margaret," she smiled, "but you can call me Maggie. Everyone does." She had the same odd accent as her mother, the children noticed.

"Well then Maggie, why don't we show you the rest of the castle? Of course I must talk a bit more with your mother, but I'm sure Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Babette will show you around. Won't you, you three?" He turned slightly to look behind him, his eyes twinkling. The three children stepped out from behind the marble column slowly.

"How does he _always_ know?" Lumiere whispered in awe. No matter how careful they were, the King always knew when they were around. The King laughed. "Well, hurry along then, Maggie."

"Bye mama." She said a bit nervously. Her mother smiled at her reassuringly.

She slowly walked up to the smiling trio. "H-hi," she stammered.

"Bonjour!" Lumiere exclaimed happily. "Come, let us show you the castle. Maggie, no?" She nodded and gave a shaky smile and followed them as they walked down the long corridor.

"Where are you from?" Asked a smiling Babette. Maggie perked up.

"America. More specifically, Philadelphia. It's really great over there," she said happily. They walked down the corridor. "I'm going to miss it, I think," Maggie said, smiling sadly.

"So you're here to stay?" Cogsworth asked, curious. They hadn't _heard_ anything about new people coming to the castle…

"Mmhmm. Mama said that she gets to garden."

"That's terrific!" Babette said happily. "We can go down to the garden tomorrow and have an adventure!" All of the children seemed excited at this prospect, and walked the corridors happily, talking of things to come.

"Maybe I won't miss Philly to much after all," she whispered softly. Cogsworth, who seemed to be the only one who heard her, smiled at her, and she smiled back.

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"So Madeline, what exactly was your concern you wrote about in your letters?" The King asked as the children walked away. Madeline's smile faded. They began walking up the stairs, and took a turn down one of the corridors.

"It's Margaret. Her health, I must admit, is very frail, like her father's. I worry about her," Madeline confessed.

"I'm sure she will be fine Madeline. You always were one to worry to much," the King smiled. "Now, you must get some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day for you." They stopped at a door. "This will be your room, as well as Margaret's."

"Of course," she smiled. "I look forward to seeing her majesty soon."

"Nicole is eager to see you soon as well. Au revoir," The King said. Madeline curtsied, and the King walked away.

"Maggie!" Madeline called, just loud enough for the four children, who were down the next corridor, to hear.

"Oh, I guess I have to go," Maggie said. "I'll see you all tomorrow then?" She asked cheerily. They smiled and nodded.

"Bye then!"

"Bye," called Cogsworth.

"Au revoir!" Chorused Lumiere and Babette.

And with that, Maggie hurried off to her mother, and they went inside their new home. The three other children walked to their rooms, tired as could be.

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**(Sorry if the three seem a bit OOC, but remember they **_**are**_** children here. People change over time. Also sorry for the terrible last lines, I rewrote it five times trying to get it right, and still failed.)**

**Yay! So, how do all of you like it? I hope I did a good job. :) Comments, constructive criticism, etc. are loved like puppies. :D **

…

**Unless you're allergic. **

**I promise I'll try to update sooner this time. :) **


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